Sew frugal: Mending tips to help your wardrobe last

Friday

Mending or altering clothes at home may seem like a lost art from a long-ago home economics class, but it’s becoming trendy again as people look to make the most of their clothes budgets.

Mending or altering clothes at home may seem like a lost art from a long-ago home economics class, but it’s becoming trendy again as people look to make the most of their clothes budgets.

“I think interest is picking up, especially with the state of the economy,” said Marjorie M. Baker, extension associate with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.

There’s no need to waste money on a new outfit if clothes hanging in your closet just need a patch or a new button.

“You’ve got to have a needle and thread on hand,” Baker said. “It’s surprising, but many people don’t.”

What you need

Most craft stores and fabric shops sell pre-packaged kits with everything you should need for a quick fix job. If you want to assemble your own sewing kit, Baker has recommendations for how to stock it:

Most people who tackle moderate do-it-yourself home repairs or car maintenance can easily manage a few basic sewing projects like clipping a loose thread, replacing a button or stitching up a hole along the seam of a garment.

Many inexperienced menders probably can even repair a tear that’s not along a seam as long as it’s small and in an inconspicuous place like the elbow of a shirt.

You shouldn’t tackle larger projects like replacing a zipper, however, without a sewing machine and some training.

Stores that sell sewing supplies and community colleges usually offer courses, or you can rely on easy-to-find books and online videos for some basic instruction on simple mending tasks.

Tricks and tips

Baker suggested a few tricks to help the uninitiated:

• If you lose a button in a prominent place and you don’t have a replacement on hand, take a button from a slightly less visible spot.

• If you don’t have an old-fashioned darning ball to help you repair socks, use a plastic Easter egg to hold the heel of the sock in the proper shape while you sew.

• If you don’t have thread that is an exact match to the fabric you’re mending, choose a shade just a bit darker than your garment. “It blends better and when the light catches it, it won’t stand out as much,” Baker said.

• Always save buttons. Even if you don’t need the button to fix the garment it came from, you might be able to use it on something else someday.

GateHouse News Service

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